Three weeks ago I happened to grab a book off the shelf of my local library. If you've been to the library with 2 kids under age 3 then you know it's literally grab a book and check out before anyone hears your kids scream or they pull every last book off the shelf. This is the book I got by personal trainer Rachel Cosgrove. I've never heard of her before but in my 5 second glance at the library I thought I'd check it out. In the book she recommends getting a pair of thermometer jeans as a goal rather than using the scale as your goal. As a dietitian I also recommend to patients to monitor how their clothes fit rather than the number on the scale. It was a good reminder to me when I read another professional give the same advice. Looks like it's time to take my own advice. I thought it would also be helpful to share the pictures on my blog as a different version of the typical "before" pictures.

Here's a picture of my thermometer jeans.

These jeans were hiding in the back of my closet. I wore them at my bridal shower 3 years and 2 babies ago. Fast forward and I'm 2 sizes larger than those sexy red hot jeans. I'm sure many of you can share a similar story.

My husband took these pictures. When I put on my black spandex shirt and shorts he said, "Are you sure you want me to take a picture? Those clothes are really tight and not very flattering. Just remember that pictures look worse than reality." This is the same husband who tells me I'm sexy no matter what my size. Ha! Thankfully I'm mentally in a good place and just laughed at him. That's the hardest part but most important part about "before" pictures. They aren't flattering, but they are a good reality check. My ultimate goal is to fit into these jeans with a fabulous fit body, not a flabby body. It doesn't really matter what the number on the scale says if the jeans don't fit or if I have a major muffin top while wearing these jeans.

I'm going to try on these jeans every month as I work toward becoming a "fit, firm, fat burning machine." When I look good in these jeans again I'll be ready for my "after" pictures and will have reached my goal. Here's to a lot of hard work between now and that future day. It's a little daunting and I wish I was at the "looking back" part of the journey, but the view at the top of the mountain is a lot better once you've struggled to climb the mountain.

Action Items

Do you have a pair of jeans hiding in your closet that are 2 sizes too small?

These jeans were hiding in the back of my closet. I wore them at my bridal shower 3 years and 2 babies ago. Fast forward and I'm 2 sizes larger than those sexy red hot jeans. I'm sure many of you can share a similar story.

My husband took these pictures. When I put on my black spandex shirt and shorts he said, "Are you sure you want me to take a picture? Those clothes are really tight and not very flattering. Just remember that pictures look worse than reality." This is the same husband who tells me I'm sexy no matter what my size. Ha! Thankfully I'm mentally in a good place and just laughed at him. That's the hardest part but most important part about "before" pictures. They aren't flattering, but they are a good reality check. My ultimate goal is to fit into these jeans with a fabulous fit body, not a flabby body. It doesn't really matter what the number on the scale says if the jeans don't fit or if I have a major muffin top while wearing these jeans.

I'm going to try on these jeans every month as I work toward becoming a "fit, firm, fat burning machine." When I look good in these jeans again I'll be ready for my "after" pictures and will have reached my goal. Here's to a lot of hard work between now and that future day. It's a little daunting and I wish I was at the "looking back" part of the journey, but the view at the top of the mountain is a lot better once you've struggled to climb the mountain.

Action Items

Do you have a pair of jeans hiding in your closet that are 2 sizes too small?